Tired ass Tory

This is an article I wrote for the Drag Magazine Pink Trash available to buy from February 2018.

I’m sitting here with my pot of freshly brewed tea, listening to yet another drag queen on Spotify, the other half cringes how I have a playlist titled ‘Ru-pulanza’ but I think I’m witty, and all I can think about is thank fuck I am not your average person. This in itself is weird, I come from a middle class family from a middle-class, Conservative ‘Flower town’ which doesn’t have a Primark nor a drive thru of any sort, yet I am an ardent progressive socialist. Why? Because even though I have crippling anxiety I love talking to people, and funnily enough so do most millennials.

Not to throw too much shade at my hometown, but moving to Swansea changed me. I can be out for a start. Beforehand I decided to give up playing rugby intensely, leaving a void which sent me into a chasm of depression, until I joined the inclusive team, then I really saw everything. A team made up from completely different members of the LGBT community and the most supportive allies you could imagine, all with different problems and abilities; but no one judges.

So what am I trying to get at? This team and my uni friends give me a safe haven from the bullshit of life outside my Swansea bubble. It’s time to re-open the Burn Book and glue down a picture of BoJo, the epiphany of the out-of-touch political elite who dominate Westminster. (I could have easily chosen, as Frankie Boyle describes as the ‘living monopoly logo,’ Mogg). This man, and ultimately the party he leads fails time and time again to listen to the majority of us millennials. Sorry May, but you’re more of a body shield taking every hit for the party. The majority want a properly funded welfare system, to stay in the single market and a properly proportional taxation system, taxing the ones who can afford it the most. Yet this is never going to happen as we are never taken seriously. Constantly attacked for our over indulgence of social media, which although means that there are trolls we are more connected.

Hang on! Statistics from the YouGov polls on the 2017 General Election show that the most intelligent of us, the ones with a degree or higher, are more likely to vote for the party which is most likely to implement these policies; the Labour Party. (49% voted Labour, where 32% voted Tory). Hmm, funny that. Let me hit you with more stats; turnout for 18-24 year olds averaged out at just below 60%, whereas for the over 70s, 84% of them turned out to vote. Don’t think this is a sign of laziness. We can all now use postal votes, even I had to, this snap election caught me off guard and the holiday to Gran Can was already booked, every gay guy has to visit the Yumbo once right? This statistic proves nothing else than apathy within our generation. The remedy- start listening to us otherwise there won’t be any way of recovering from the most devastating austerity hit since 1815 (after the Napoleonic wars if you’re wondering). We want a country to inherit. ‘Strong and Stable’ is good, but I’ll settle for one that doesn’t discriminate. Rupaul finishes and on comes Bowie.

So apart from the lazy persona placed upon us by the generation on top of us, there is another stigma which I want to tackle; that we are easily offended. The elderly generation believe that we live in a world where political correctness has gone too mad, what they are missing is the fact that we are aware that sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can hurt just as bad. My dad asked me whilst I was going through my worst mental illness period, ‘Why are so much of your generation diagnosed with anxiety and depression?’ Now don’t get me wrong, we inflict just as much shit on ourselves on social media and the over airbrushing of celebrities, yet there’s a much bigger problem- pressure to succeed. There is pressure to own your own house by a certain age; have a secure job; be a high earner in order to set up a family (a traditional family, you know, man and woman, and natural children). But that is never going to happen due to house prices rocketing and the reduction in social mobility caused by years of neo-liberalism. With this in mind a comment about someone’s sexuality, gender or their appearance is going to do nothing apart from adding to the overbearing pressure upon us. I know it will be hard for people who have never been marginalised, but at least try not to be a dick.

The biggest issue the elderly have with our generation however, is the fact that we believe we could make a change. They believe we have some picture of Utopia where no one is ever offended. Well actually this is pretty manageable, open up a bit more and learn about other people. Before we move on can I just point out two things, the idea of a Utopia was first created by a conservative, Catholic martyr called Thomas More funnily enough, but most importantly I cannot think of the word Utopia without replacing the word euphoria with it to the tune of Loreen’s song, oops is my gay showing again?

So what is the best way to tackle them? Go out and vote, vote anyway even if you do not believe it will make a difference it will. An extra share of the votes for the progressive parties will shift the general political spectrum of the UK, opening up the opportunity of greater openness and serious tax reforms. In the meantime go to as many Drag shows you can, support your local queens who epitomise our openness and can do attitude. Hey we might actually be able to send one off to America and get further than the third show!? Ultimately keep being proud of yourselves, battle on and one day we can shape a better climate for more people to live life without restraints!

Oh and fuck Trump!

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Published by hjamesweb

Young Progressively minded student. I play for an inclusive rugby team in Swansea where I attend University. I am currently studying Medieval studies at BA level, hopefully will be moving onto MA. Supporter of Labour, Plaid, SNP and Green.
View all posts by hjamesweb